Volunteer

Friday, September 26, 2014

Below is a reflection written by high school student Danielle
Stone from Glenview, IL, who organized a fundraiser to help support Johana* at
NPH Guatemala.

Recently, my tennis
team and I decided to have a bake sale at our school. We wanted to have a team
bonding experience and be able to help others at the same time. When we were
trying to decide what organization the money should go to I suggested NPH. I
told them all about the organization and about how I sponsor a child from
Guatemala. They thought it sounded like a great cause and so we set a date for
the bake sale. Everyone on our team made 3-4 dozen baked goods that we sold
during lunch hours at our school. We sold cupcakes, brownies, cookies, lemon
bars, pumpkin bread, and donuts. Everyone signed up for a shift time when they
could work the table and sell our goods.

It was so
incredible to see how many people wanted to learn more about NPH and how
everyone was so supportive. Our goal was to raise around $300 and we ended up
raising $400.66. We sold out of all our baked goods in 5 periods, which is very
fast. It was such an amazing experience for me to be able to teach my peers and
teachers about the mission of NPH.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Below is a reflection written by Mary Waldmann regarding
the impact meeting her godchild had on her life

In 2002, we began
sponsoring four-year-old Boris at NPH Guatemala. Over the next 12 years we
exchanged drawings (his), photos and letters. Sometimes it was a little
frustrating when letters weren’t very detailed or responsive to questions, but
we kept at it. In July 2014 we were fortunate enough to travel to NPH Guatemala
with a Seattle group, with the primary goal of meeting Boris. I was prepared
for him to be a little standoffish since he’d never met us and and was now a
16-year-old teenager...and I’ll admit I was a little nervous. The first
afternoon we arrived, Donna Egge was giving us a brief familiarization tour of
the grounds when she spotted Boris on a balcony and called to him. In a flash,
he was down the stairs wrapping his arms around me. As he planted a big kiss on
my cheek, it really hit me just what a significant role godparents play in the
lives of the pequenos. At that moment I was so glad I’d kept up our
correspondence, even when it was challenging. And I was so grateful to finally
meet the wonderful young man that little Boris has become. Over the next week
we were able to spend a lot of time with him and learned much, much more about
him. With his smattering of English, our smattering of Spanish, some help in
translation and a lot of smiles and gestures, we were able to communicate
pretty well and our correspondence will be much richer for it.

To those who are
not yet sponsors, I can tell you what a difference you can make in a child’s
life—please consider becoming a godparent. If you already sponsor a child,
please consider visiting your godchild—it will be one of the most rewarding
experiences of your life!

Friday, September 12, 2014

Below is a
letter written by visitor Claire Krummenacher to her parents and aunt who
introduced her to NPH

Dear Mom, Dad, and Auntie Randy,

Thanks so much for this wonderful
opportunity. I’ve had a lot of fun with
the pequeños but also learned a lot of valuable lessons.

1.It’s okay to accept help with
things you don’t know, even if it’s a six year old correcting your Spanish
grammar.

2.ADAPT ADAPT ADAPT.

3.Be willing to push yourself out
of your comfort zone.

4.It’s good to meet new people but
remember the ones you came with too.

I’m not doing a very good job of
explaining the experiences that really made this trip special for me, but it’s
hard to put into words because they can’t really describe the sound of Levi’s*
laugh or Mackenson’s* smile or the sunlight on the mountains in the early
morning or how Concha wanted me to sit with her at Mass and how Zolia* couldn’t
talk but still held my hand and those are just a few of the beautiful moments.

But thank you for giving me good
reasons to come home: a loving family that has always supported me, delicious
food, a comfortable bed, the opportunity to go to school. Thanks for working so
hard and for teaching me good values.

And thanks so much Auntie Randy,
for introducing us to NPH in the first place. I am so happy we came and feel so
lucky to have had an experience like this that changed my life.

If NPH has taught me one thing,
it’s that it takes a village to raise a child. Thanks for being my village, and
for giving me roots and wings.